Swift springs(8/6k) damper choice

[jondee86]

When it comes to suspension, the simple answer is...
there is no simple answer

The spring rates, shocks and ride height are all linked.
- At stock height with stock springs your Tokico blues are good.
- With moderate lowering (<30mm) and slightly uprated springs, the
Tokico blues are still good.
- With serious lowering (>40mm) and stiff springs, the Tokico blues
will be operating outside their design range. They will no longer be
able to control the springs, and you could possibly have a problem
with bottoming the shock if you remove the bump stops. At this stage
you need to consider cutting the strut and using short stroke shocks.

Espelir ASD springs are not really "stiff" springs, and you will get a
reasonable amount of suspension movement, which basically translates
into ride comfort and grip. However the Espelir springs do drop the car
at least 40mm, and IMO this puts the front suspension too close to the
bumpstops. And FWIW I don't believe in removing the bumpstops
completely to gain bump travel... shorten them yes, but you need to
have something in there to cushion the big hits.

On my car, for cost reasons, I did not buy the custom valved Bilsteins
that I would have liked, and chose to go with the AGX SW20/Camaro
combo. This meant cutting the front struts, but otherwise was a bolt-in
installation. The AGX shocks are capable of controlling much stiffer
springs than the Espelirs, so for normal driving I leave them set on
full soft. It was a budget installation, and I am happy with the results.

Megan springs offer the same kind of lowering only with higher spring
rates, and they would work with the AGX combo. Deuce Cam should be
able to tell you if they will work with uncut struts and Tokico blues. So
long as the shock does not bottom out on full compression you are OK.
If it was me I would cut the strut above the perch and use the AGX's.

Cheers... jondee86

[Deuce Cam]

I was fine with the megan springs, tokico hp shocks, stock struts and uncut stock bump stops. I don't recall hitting the bump stops much, but I can't say for sure. The car never saw track use. The setup was on a car I bought 4 years ago and I don't know how long they were used, but they were still going when I uninstalled them a few months back (although the fronts appeared to be very tired after inspection). I used both 15x7 +0 on 195/50 tires and 14x7 +8 on 195/60 tires with stock fender liners and no rubbing.

The espelirs will be interesting since the spring rate is roughly 30% lower and the ride height is close to the same. I'll definitely report back after I get a chance to test everything out for a while. I'm still undecided on shocks, but it looks like I'll be going with the non adjustable trd sport long shocks for ae86 due to the reasonable price. I don't have faith that the kyb excel g/gr2 will provide the sportiness I want. I really want to try the ae86 specific bilsteins since they're mono tube, and also perhaps the koni's, but the price is considerably more for both compared to trd. Of course now that I've thought about it more I almost want to try some bilstein rally inserts, maybe even grp4 strut mod for beefier inserts , perhaps another time I suppose...

Has anybody tried the ae86 specific bilstein, koni, or trd long stroke non adjustable version? Any input is appreciated.

[ae86714]

Should probably change the title of this thread to just "damper choice" lol. just looking around at some of the low cost shocks, does anyone know why the kyb GR-2 list different part numbers for the fronts for 84-85 and 86-87? I didnt think there was a difference in shocks/ struts for all year ae86. I mainly ask because i bought strut casings from another forum member and dont know what year 86 it came off. I am thinking a uber cheap set up like megans/ GR-2 will help justify spending a pretty penny later on, and they will suit my goals for now. (just casual driving/ commuting)

[Deuce Cam]

^I noticed that as well about the kyb front inserts, and I'm not sure why that is. The application list for the '85 corolla insert includes all corollas from '75-85, while the application list for the '86-87 corolla inserts include the '82-86 celica and '83-92 cressida as well. I'm assuming either is probably fine since the compressed lengths are within .08" of each other, but I'm not certain.

[ae86714]

jondee?

[jondee86]

AFAIK the GTS and SR5 strut casings are identical. Therefore, whatever
shock insert works with a GTS casing should work with a SR5 casing. For
example, I see that Koni have no trouble in specifying the same insert
for the GTS/SR5 1983-1987.

Cheers... jondee86

[ae86714]

So basically no difference, nice. Looks like I can get away with new springs and shocks for less than 300 bucks! It'll be atleast a couple years before I hit the track anyway, it will serve its purpose for now. thanks for all the very useful info!